The Commission on Race and Ethnic Disparities just published a report on inequality in the UK but what did it actually say?

 

The commission believes that the current approach towards racism among young people, as seen through protests but also digital activism on social media, and rejects terms such as “white privilege”. It said that breakdowns in class barriers have fuelled “pessimistic narratives” about race. 

 

In addition the commission says "Put simply we no longer see a Britain where the system is deliberately rigged against ethnic minorities”. However the commission did give examples of what they believed to be a time when ethnic minority communities "rightly felt let down", such as the Windrush Scandal.

 

Covid 19

The commission also looked into the higher death rates from Covid-19 among certain ethnic groups and suggested that these were caused by factors such as housing and occupation, saying “Outcomes such as these do not come about by design, and are certainly not deliberately targeted.”. This appears to ignore the systemic bias which puts minority communities in situations where they have less desirable jobs and living standards. 

 

BAME

The commission said the term BAME is "no longer helpful" because it "disguises huge differences" between minority groups such as black African and black Caribbean communities. 

 

Social Media

The report also found that social media “enormously amplifies racist views" as it gives racists a new platform for their discriminatory views. Partly blame are social media companies who should face "substantial penalties - and public naming and shaming".

 

Despite the fact that there are still around 142 racially motivated crimes per day, the report suggests that, according to the Crime Survey of England and Wales, hate crimes may be declining. 

 

Police

Something highly criticised was the police’s stop and search protocol, which has been said to disproportionately target ethnic minorities. For example in London Black people are nearly 4 times more likely to be searched. In response the commission said "critical tool for policing when used appropriately, and lawfully" but agreed that there should be more transparency when it is deployed. 

 

Overall

 

One local students described the report as “gaslighting the discrimination faced by ethnic minority communities”.

 

Instead of discussing what could be done about racism or highlighting problems and finding solutions it seems that the report has focused on the positives.